End of an Era: Senegal Kicks Out French Army After 65 Years

The French army will on Thursday, July 17, leave Senegal, officially shutting down its final military base in the country. This move marks the end of a 65-year-old military presence by France in West Africa.

According to reports, the French officials will hand over two key installations camp Geille in Dakar and an airbase at Blaise Diagne International Airport. These were the last remaining military posts in Senegal.

About 350 French soldiers operated from these locations, mainly for joint training with Senegalese forces. Now, the French army leaves Senegal following orders from President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Faye, who took office in April 2024, had pledged during his campaign to close all foreign military bases in Senegal by the end of 2025.

His message centered on sovereignty, dignity, and a clean break from neocolonialism.

Unlike Burkina Faso or Mali, however, Senegal has not expelled French diplomats. President Faye continues to advocate a respectful partnership with France without military occupation.

“The presence of foreign armies is incompatible with full sovereignty,” Faye said shortly after taking office.

He also demanded an official apology from France for the Thiaroye massacre, where French soldiers killed dozens of African veterans in 1944.

A symbolic handover ceremony will take place in Dakar. Senegal’s top military officer, General Mbaye Cissé, and French regional commander, General Pascal Ianni, are both expected to attend.

The French army leaving Senegal follows similar withdrawals in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast. In many of those countries, Russia has replaced France as a security partner.

Now that the French army leaves Senegal, the only full French base remaining in Africa is in Djibouti, on the eastern coast.

For many Senegalese, the departure of the French forces represents more than a military change. It signals a new era of full control over national territory, free from colonial ties.

The French army leaving Senegal closes a long and often tense chapter of France’s involvement in the region.

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